Former AIADMK minister booked for rape, cheating

A case of rape and cheating has been filed against former AIADMK minister M Manikandan based on the complaint of a Malaysia-born actor who has accused him of sexually exploiting her under the pretext of marriage.

The woman filed an FIR in this regard at the Adyar All-Women Police Station on Sunday. The former minister has been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The woman in her complaint alleged that she has been in a live-in relationship with Manikandan, during which she has been forced to undergo three abortions by the former minister. She alleged that while Manikandan had promised to marry her, he resorted to threatening her family when she asked him to keep it.

Reports quoting the woman’s complaint said that she used to travel frequently to Tamil Nadu for work related to Malaysian tourism and was introduced to the former minister in 2017. The woman said Manikandan, who then was the Information and Technology minister, had befriended her under the pretext of making investments in Malaysia. He had also promised to marry her even though he was already married. The duo then started living in a house in Besant Nagar and also travelled to several places as a couple.

Stating that Manikandan’s aides were aware of the relationship, the actor has claimed that she has evidence of him having a relationship with her.

She said he lived with her till April, and then started pressuring her to leave India.

Manikandan, who served as the IT minister of Tamil Nadu between 2016 and 2019 was elected from the Ramanathapuram constituency.

He has been booked under Sections 376 (rape), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 417 (punishment for cheating) and 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of IPC as well as sections of the IT Act.